Now that the disclosures are out of the way, welcome, dear reader!
Geekdom, noun.
Definition: the state of being a geek, esp. awkward, technological, or intellectual persons as a group...
Example: Geekdom seems to be popular these days.
Indeed it does. Not long ago I can remember when calling someone a geek was used as a derogatory term, mostly flung about by those "popular" members of the more prestigious cliques in junior high and high school. It was used to describe and tease those social outcasts who looked to books, gadgets or games for entertainment rather than sports or, well, what ever it was those "popular" kids did.
Today being called a geek is seen as complimentary, to the point where people will don t-shirts with clever phrases that identify them as a proud member of geekdom. There are entire websites dedicated to geeky apparel and I can remember dozens of articles addressing our current presidents struggle to keep his beloved Blackberry, a struggle rejoiced by geeks everywhere. Even geeky conventions such as comicon, dragoncon ect.. have come out from the underground to bathe in the mainstream lights. The message seems clear: we've won.
My ponderings are: how did this happen? Is it a good thing that conventions and television sitcoms celebrating intellect and eclectic interests are on the rise? Like the hair bands of the 70's and 80's that eventually got too big to fit into our back pockets, has geekery and all its flavors gotten too big for its britches? Does this mean I can wear my Star Trek: TOS command gold to campus or work without ridicule?
Leave questions, comments, hate mail or marriage proposals below.
I think what is going to give Geekdom its staying power is that it plays to our weaknesses as much as to our strengths. You do not need to be smart, charismatic, or wealthy to be a geek, you just need to have a geek sanctioned hobby.
ReplyDeleteByron - I like this idea Eric! Your writing is very fun to read! You should keep doing this! As for my two cents, I see parallels between what you are talking about and certain types of music. Choir, band, orchestra and so many other types of organized ensemble music were shunned by mainstream society for so long. These days some of the most popular shows on television are exclusively about those types of music. Glee, American Idol, Britain's Got Talent, and I even saw a preview for a competition talent show that was based on performances by unaccompanied singing ensembles. They are permitted to sing any type of music with any type of sound as long as every sound is created by the human voice. I'm looking forward to that one! :-)
ReplyDeleteI agree with both of you. We'll see if all things geekery last into the depth of the decade. And Byron, you're making me want to join the acapella group here, I wish I had more time!!
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